Removable utility box



Dec. 18, 1962 1'. TORONTO REMOVABLE UTILITY BOX 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 31, 1961 INVENTOR. THOMAS TORONT BY Any/m? Dec. 18, 1962 T. TORONTO REMOVABLE UTILITY BOX 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 31, 1961 0 m m mm m E0 7. M M M a w H 5 United States Patent Ofifice 3,069,064 I Patented Dec. 18, 1962 3,069,064 REMOVABLE UTILITY BOX Thomas Toronto, 262 Piermont Ave., South Nyack, NY. Filed July 31, 1961, Ser. No. 128,036 1 Claim. (Cl. 229-43) This invention relates generally to portable suspending receptacle units supportable on a vertically disposed supporting surface, and more particularly to a paper boxtype receptacle unit.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a paper box-type receptacle unit having an open top adapted to be supported on a vertical supporting surface such as a wall with its top opening upwardly to catch droppings such as plaster, paper and the like scraped from the wall above the unit during the scraping operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide an elongated paper box-type receptacle unit with an open top for catching droppings during a wall scraping operation and with adhesive means for removably fastening the unit to the wall. I

A further object of the invention is to provide an elongated paper box-type receptacle unit formed from a single blank of cardboard material with an open top and with a mastic strip along one edge of the open top having a pressure sensitive adhesive coating for fastening the unit to a supporting wall.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an elongated paper box-type receptacle unit with an open top formed from a single blank of cardboard material and set up without extraneous fastening elements.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an elongated rectangular-shaped paper box-type receptacle unit with an open top wherein the ends of the unit are reinforced so that the stresses which are applied during use are so distributed that deformation and breakage are prevented.

It is a further object to provide a supporting device which can be applied to and removed from walls, and like smooth surfaces without marring the surface.

It is also an object to provide a supporting device of this kind which is strong, light in weight, removable from one smooth surface to another and capable of supporting a considerable weight.

It is also proposed, according to a modification of the invention, to provide a receptacle unit of this kind with hinged flaps at the top thereof to hold the contents in the receptacle.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a paper receptacle unit embodying my invention shown supported on a wall.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an end of the recep tacle unit, parts being broken away, on an enlarged scale.

FIG. 4 is a view looking from the left of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the blank from which the body of the receptacle unit is formed after it is shaped but before it is set up, showing the mastic strip removed therefrom.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of a modified form of a receptacle unit.

FIG; 7 is a front perspective view of a receptacle unit' embodying another modified form of the invention, showing the closure flaps in open and closed position.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view through the center of the receptacle unit.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 9 9 of FIG. 8.

Referring in detail to the drawings, in FIG. 1 a receptacle unit is shown mounted in suspended condition on a side wall 10 and is designated generally by the reference numeral 12. The receptacle unit is formed from a single blank of stiff base sheet material, such as paper stock, as shown in FIG. 5. The receptacle unit is elongated and rectangular in configuration and plan and consists of a front wall 14, a rear wall 16 and bottom wall 18. The walls have flat smooth surfaces. The

unit is open at the top.

At its ends, the receptacle unit is closed by means of inner rectangular-shaped closure flaps 20 with straight edges hinged to the ends of the bottom wall 18, of intermediate closure flaps 22 hinged to the ends of the front wall 14, and of outer closure flaps 24 hinged to the ends of the rear wall 16. The flaps 22 are notched along their inner edges as viewed in FIG. 5 and their lower edges as viewed in FIGS. 3 and 4, forming tongues 26. Flaps 24 are notched along their outer edges as viewed in FIG. 5 and their upper edges as viewed in FIGS. 3 and 4, forming tongues 28. The flaps 22 and 24 are interlocked by intersecting the notched portions and overlapping the tongues.

In accordance with the invention, along the free edge of the rear wall 16, a flange 30 is formed and is reinforced centrally thereof by a rib 32. A flexible mastic strip 34 coated on one surface by pressure sensitive adhesive 36 is secured along one long edge thereof to the flange with its coated surface facing rearwardly. The mastic strip extends above the top edge of the flange 30. The juncture between the rear wall 16 and flange 30 is in the form of a reinforcing rib 38. A protective peel able cover strip 40 of glassine, Holland cloth or the like is applied to the adhesive coating 36 in order to prevent the adhesive from becoming attached to foreign objects or from spoiling until it is attached to the supporting surface.

In use, the receptacle unit 12 is mounted on a vertically disposed supporting surface such as the side wall 10 shown in FIG. 1, with its open top opening upwardly. This mounting is accomplished by first peeling off the cover strip 40 and placing the coated surface of the mastic strip 34 against the supporting surface and pressing same thereagainst whereby the strip will hold the receptacle unit in horizontally disposed position with its top opening up wardly ready to receive all droppings from plaster scraping operations or the like taking place on the wall thereabove.

The receptacle unit 12 may be of any desired length or other dimensions, and the modified unit 12' shown in FIG. 6 has a body that is comparatively small and substantially square in configuration. Otherwise it is similar to the unit 12.

The receptacle unit 12 thus offers a very convenient means for catching droppings such as plaster, paper and the like during any scraping and cleansing operations taking place on the supporting surface thereabove. -T he unit is also convenient as a utility holder for holding various objects and articles and substances. The unit is fastened in position without requiring tacks or other extraneous fastening elements. Any suitable type of pressure sensitive adhesive composition may be used for attaching the unit. In this respect it is immaterial whether the surface is plaster, glass, metal, wood or a painted surface. The device sticks firmly to the supporting surface for an indefinite period of time or until there is reason to remove it.

Referring now to the modified form of receptacle unit 12 shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, the receptacle unit shown herein differs merely from the receptacle unit 12 in providing a pair of elongated flaps 44, 44 hinged at their ends to the tops of the inner flaps 20", 2G". The flaps 44, 44 are each substantially half the length of the body of the receptacle unit and are provided on their inner ends with finger pieces 46 for manipulating the flaps.

The flaps are adapted to be swung downwardly over any material contained in the receptacle and are adapted to snap over inwardly protruding elongated indentation 48 formed by indenting the material of the front and rear walls 14" and 16", respectively. The indentations slant downwardly from the ends of the walls to points midway the ends thereof. The flaps will protect the contents of the receptacle unit and prevent the contents from falling out.

Suspending receptacle units of the character described may be employed for holding plaster droppings and various kinds of articles and substances. Contrary to expectation it is found that such droppings and articles may be easily supported by means of a box-like receptacle unit having on its rear face a pressure sensitive adhesive as illustrated and described. It might be thought that pressure sensitive adhesive backing would tend to weaken upon prolonged standing when used in a supporting unit of the character described due to the constant pull of the contents being supported. My experience has shown, however, that this is not the case and that the adhesive relationship between the pressure sensitive adhesive and the plane surface to which it is attached actually becomes stronger. At the same time, with properly prepared pressure sensitive adhesives, no difficulty is encountered in readily removing the entire unit from its supporting surface.

From the foregoing disclosure, it will be apparent that the present invention provides a supporting device which is inexpensive, light in weight, simple to apply and remove and capable of supporting articles having considerable weight. The device may be applied to any smooth surface and may be removed therefrom at will and transferred to another surface.

The receptacle unit may be secured to a wall or other surface by means of tacks or other securing means without the use of any adhesive coating.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent A suspending receptacle unit comprising an elongated rectangular-shaped box-like structure of cardboard having a bottom wall, front wall, rear wall and open at the top, the front and rear Walls having elongated slanting indentations on the inner surfaces thereof extending from the ends of the wall to a point midway the ends thereof, interlocking flaps closing the ends of the structure, a flange along the outer edge of the rear wall, a mastic strip along the outer free end edge of said flange and extending outwardly thereof, said strip having a zone of pressure sensitive adhesive coating on one face thereof, and a pair of flaps hinged to the end flaps and covering the opening at the top, said flaps adapted to snap over said indentations on the front and rear walls for holding the flaps in closed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,157,298 Dague Oct. 19, 1915 1,218,872 Lafore Mar. 13, 1917 2,188,479 McCaskey J an. 30, 1940 2,624,521 Broeren Jan. 6, 1953 2,770,411 MacKay Nov. 13, 1956 

